Strange Stat Explains Caleb Williams's Epic Monday Night Football Meltdown

After a promising start to the 2025 season with a great first half, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams had a disastrous second half in a 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. A unique stat may explain the struggles of the former USC Trojans star.

Sep 8, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) practices before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

It was a tale of two halves for the Chicago Bears quarterback and former USC Trojans Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams in the 27-24 season-opening loss against the Minnesota Vikings. In the first half, Williams out-gained the Vikings himself, going 13/16 for 112 passing yards, 95.8 passer rating, and a rushing touchdown. The Bears took a 10-6 lead into halftime.

They added to it in the third quarter to take a 17-6 lead, and that’s when the proverbial wheels began to fall off for both sides of the ball, but as the quarterback and former No.1 overall pick, it was Williams who all eyes turned to.

First-year coach Ben Johnson and the defense were not without fault, but the elephant in the room was the drop in Williams' play in the later stages of the game. The dramatic drop off was encompassed by a handful of errant throws in critical moments in which Williams had open receivers. 

Sep 8, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) practices before the game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

As the game progressed, the Vikings and defensive coordinator Brian Flores dialed up more and more blitzes, which caused Williams to be sped and led to further accuracy issues.

In the first half, Williams was blitzed on 25 percent of his drop backs. In the second half, Flores nearly doubled that rate and blitzed a noteworthy 44 percent of the time. Williams finished the game 21/35 for 210 yards passing and one passing touchdown.

"We felt like we were dominating the game, like you said. We were in control up to two scores coming out of half. That mentality is something that we have, something that we preach. That didn't happen today. It's not a playcall thing. It's not anything like that. It's just being able to go out there and execute the plays that are called, be able to execute them at a high level. That's something we take pride in,” Williams said after the game.

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Through Williams’ first 19 games, he leads the NFL in incompletions due to overthrows with 52 per TruMedia. While being under pressure and blitzed almost gave the game certainly adds to that, Williams also flat-out missed at least three deep connections by overthrowing the ball. Arm talent isn’t the issue with Williams; even knowing where to go with the ball isn’t, it's the mechanics.

“We saw growing pains tonight from Caleb Williams outside of the first drive where he looked very comfortable. Then we saw the ebbs and flows in this ball game. They don’t want to wait for that. They want to see the benefits right now,” CBS Sports analyst and former NFL player Bryant McFadden said. 

"He has to learn how to be a professional quarterback."@BMac_SportsTalk on Caleb Williams after the Bears loss. pic.twitter.com/nvl6DF9gSC

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 9, 2025

While he’s still extremely young and early in his career, this issue has persisted throughout. Williams showed so many good things and equally as many concerning things last night. The biggest one is simply missing high on open targets. Football is volatile, and defenses get paid millions too; they will make plays. 

Playing for USC coach Lincoln Riley, Williams spent his time with the Trojans as the presumed No. 1 pick. That dream became a reality, but there is work ahead for Williams as he looks to make his mark in the NFL.

An offense being able to take care of the details and take advantage of the limited opportunities for explosive plays is a driving force towards winning. Williams must improve in that area if he wants to realize his fullest potential. Never overreact to week 1, but take heed of the warning signs. Williams has some growing up to do.